Her Choice
by mmooch
Summary: Buffy's had enough of Angel deciding things for her. She's grown up and it's time he learned that.
1. Chapter 1: Letting Go

**Her Choice**

Summary: Buffy's had enough of Angel deciding things for her. She's grown up and it's time he learned that.

Timeline: Season 4 BtVS, 1 AtS – just after _'I Will Remember You'_. It goes slightly AU after that for both shows. Most important, Doyle doesn't die! At least not for good.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: In response to a TtH forum challenge, **Buffy And Doyle**** by ****TimeShifter**:

**i would like to see a fan fiction with a Buffy and Doyle pairing. You can do pretty much anything you'd like with it. Doyle doesn't have to die or he can. Doesn't matter. Have fun with it.

Bonus Points if Buffy tells Angel off for interfearing**

**Chapter 1: Letting Go**

Buffy left Angel's office after he killed the Mohra demon, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. They had the chance to be together and he gave it up. And for what? The stupid idea that it would save her life? She was the _Slayer_ for crying out loud! This was almost as stupid as his decision to leave so she could have a normal life. _**'No more!'**_ she vowed to herself. She wasn't ever going to make the mistake of giving him her heart again to trade off for the next crisis that came along.

She didn't know why she was allowed to remember when it was just supposed to be Angel, and she didn't care! She was tired of him treating her like a little girl who needed to be protected. Where was that attitude two years ago when it could have actually done some good? If he had managed to maintain his distance instead of letting her fall in love with him, then things might be so much better now.

Not that she really blamed him for Angelus…much. But seriously, he never asked any questions about the curse in the almost hundred years he lived with it? Now that she wasn't looking at him with love's blinders, she wasn't sure that she liked what she was seeing. Guess the good thing about this visit was it helped her to grow up a little and set this fairy tale fantasy aside for good.

Too caught up in her stormy mood, she ignored the slight ping on her spidey senses, telling her a demon was nearby. "Hey darling, big meeting already over?" she heard the Irish brogue of that shorter guy, Doyle, from behind her.

"Yeah, guess so," Buffy replied half-heartedly as she turned. Looking at him closer now, she realized that he was pretty attractive – not that she was in the market or anything. Buffy knew he was Angel's friend and would probably take his side in the matter, so she didn't really want to explain it.

After spending some weeks with the king of broodiness, Doyle knew that this visit had the potential for disaster. Especially when Angel admitted he didn't even talk to Buffy herself when he was in Sunnydale. Then he looked at her closely and saw she was troubled by something. "What's the matter? You can tell ol' Doyle about it," he offered in his most charming manner.

Giggling slightly, Buffy gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, but I'd rather not talk about it right now. Besides, you'd probably agree with Angel," she finished gloomily.

Doyle shrugged, not sure how true that assumption would be. There were a lot of things 'his' Champion did that had the seer scratching his head, wondering why the Powers made _him_ work with the vampire. "Maybe, maybe not. Depends on what it is. How 'bout this? Let's go grab a bite to eat. I was supposed to go with Cordelia, but she got a call for an audition and left me all alone," he tried to look pathetic, earning him another giggle from the upset Slayer.

They went to a small diner and, even though she didn't tell him what was bothering her, she did tell him about the rest of her life and he returned the favor by telling her things that he hadn't told Angel or Cordelia about yet – or just barely told them before Buffy came along.

There was just something so comfortable between the two of them that made it easy for them to open up. For Doyle, he appreciated that she already knew he was part demon and apparently didn't care, except to let him know she knew. He had guessed since she dated a vampire, she might not be so quick to slay, but he wasn't entirely sure if Angel was a fluke or not. And for Buffy, the cheerful nature of Doyle was in such sharp contrast to her ex, that it made it hard to see him as a substitute to confide in, even if they both occasionally spoke with the Irish brogue – although Doyle's was stronger and didn't sound as forced.

A few hours later, when Buffy got up to leave, they exchanged info so they could keep in touch. Feeling much better about the day, Buffy gave the seer a tight hug goodbye, thanking him for cheering her up. Oh impulse, he said that he'd come visit her the next weekend…as long as nothing supernatural came up. And so began the semi-long distance friendship of Doyle and Buffy.

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A/N: Next…quick conversations over the months.


	2. Chapter 2: Conversations

**Chapter 2: Conversations**

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: In response to a TtH forum challenge, **Buffy And Doyle**** by ****TimeShifter**.

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One of their first phone conversations resulted in Doyle doubling over in laughter when Buffy told him about Willow's spell that made her engaged to Spike. He had already known that Spike was essentially harmless because of the chip from previous talks. Doyle begged to be the one to tell Angel about it, but, in the end, neither of them wanted to let the ensouled vampire know about their friendship so he decided to keep it quiet.

After hanging up, Doyle thought back to Buffy's visit to LA. When he found out what Angel did to Buffy – and that she actually _remembered_ it – he was disappointed in his Champion. Part of him wished he could trade to be the Slayer's seer. Unfortunately, because of her dreams, she didn't need one to do her duty. Oh well, best get back to work. Remembering her bubbly laughter, Doyle gave one parting thought that she'd be so much nicer to be around than His Broodiness.

Their next talk was in one of Buffy's Slayer dreams. At first, when Doyle told her about the demons who were wiping out other demons, part of her cheered privately…until Doyle explained that some those demons were non-violent like him. She thought of the neutral demons she knew and felt bad that they weren't accepted by either humans because of fear of the unknown, or demons for not being pure.

Then her heart broke as he showed her how he saved them, sacrificing himself because he believed Angel was more important than he was. Buffy quickly disagreed with him, even though she knew it was too late by this point. She woke up momentarily after he said his final goodbye, then cried herself back to sleep. She had already learned to care so much for her new friend that it hurt to lose him like this.

Buffy was shocked and thrilled when she saw Doyle after the Gentlemen were destroyed. He said that he couldn't stay 'cause he had to get back to Angel, but he just had to see her first. He explained that the Powers were sending him back because the visions were too strong for a normal human to endure and they would eventually kill Cordelia. It had to be someone with added 'oomph' to survive them.

Then Buffy shared what just happened with the heart-stealing demons. When she said that she was thinking of keeping Riley's secret from the others, Doyle gave her a disappointed look. He asked if someone she just met really deserved more loyalty than her friends that had fought by her side for the past three years. She knew that it was important to share the information or else they would feel betrayed when they finally did find out.

As soon as the half-Brachen demon/seer left for LA, she called the gang together for a Scooby meeting. Happy that she told them the truth, they agreed cautiously when she asked for them to keep it quiet until she got Riley to agree to let them know. Or when they found out some other way.

It was Buffy's turn to laugh when Doyle told her about Wesley being a 'rogue demon hunter'. She was glad to hear that his group was so happy to hear he was back and that he hadn't be replaced by her ex-Watcher. Not that she wanted Wesley to be turned away either. It was good that they had _all_ of the Fang Gang, as she and Doyle called them with a laugh. She couldn't help but have a moment of selfishness in wanting Doyle to be with her though.

When Doyle told Buffy about Penn, she had to fight her shudders at the reminder of what Angelus had done. She knew in her head that Angel wasn't the same as Angelus, but it was times like this that it was hard to remember that. The devastation he left behind him was frightening.

She had to talk to Doyle often the next few days to get over the nightmares that their talk had stirred up. He was the only one she felt comfortable asking for help. She didn't think she could ask the Scoobies given their own history with Angelus.

Buffy called in tears after she almost killed Giles. After he finished comforting her, Doyle gently suggested that maybe she should make more of an effort to keep in touch with her Watcher. Despite what Giles told her at the beginning of the school year about standing on her own, it was clear that he needed her as much as she needed him.

After he hung up, Doyle was surprised to realize that he was jealous of Riley. Here he thought that he was interested in Cordelia. Maybe it was just because she was geographically convenient. Or maybe he would still be if it weren't for Buffy popping up in his thoughts more and more often.

Doyle expressed his concern when Buffy told him that she was joining the Initiative. She reassured him that she was only doing it as a way to keep an eye on what they were doing. Maybe she could find out about 314 _before_ it became a problem. He bit his tongue, trying to keep his growing feelings to himself. But he did ask her to be extra careful around them.

Instead of being upset by his overprotective attitude, Buffy was touched by his concern. Maybe it had something to do with his adorable accent. Or more likely that it wasn't that he treated her like a child like _some_ people she could mention, only like someone who cared about her.

Doyle was about to pick up and drive to Sunnydale when Buffy told him about Walsh trying to have her killed. He may not be a fighter, but right then he wanted to tear that woman's head off. Then Buffy said that the professor had been found dead and some of the Initiative believed she did it. Even Riley was doubting her.

That did it.

Throwing some things in a bag, Doyle told Angel and the others that he had some personal stuff to handle and that he'd be back as soon as he could. They didn't need to worry; if he had a vision, he'd call them right away.

As soon as he got to her dorm room, he pulled her into a fierce hug and soothed away her hurt feelings. Thinking to himself that this Riley fellow was all kinds of moron for doubting the woman he _claimed_ to love, Doyle couldn't help but hope that Buffy might leave the idiot and might consider somebody new to love. And that maybe he could be that man.

When she heard about the kid being possessed, Buffy cringed. How strange that the demon was less frightening than a little kid. Humans were supposed to be the innocents, not the evil ones. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that was _really_ the case, but still…major shudders.

Then she and Doyle just talked some more about themselves. Not the seer or the Slayer, just Doyle and Buffy. She didn't know if it was the strained relationship between her and Riley, but she was starting to wish that she had fallen in love with Doyle instead. Unfortunately, when she had met him, her mind was too full of Angel to really consider him. After that, it was a simple matter of not seeing him everyday like she did Riley.

The news about the underground arena where demons had to fight each other both intrigued and disturbed Buffy. She didn't think slavery of any kind was right, but she couldn't help but wonder how she would do against the top fighters there. Doyle guessed her thoughts and assured her that none of them could stand a chance against her. Of course, he might have been a little bit biased in that regard.

Buffy just wanted to slap that actress for taking the chance of releasing Angelus, even artificially. She was halfway to LA to take care of things when Doyle said that the vampire was Angel again. The others hadn't thought to call her, but it was the first thing Doyle did. He knew that if there was the risk of Angelus being loose, Buffy deserved to know. If for no other reason than he might go after her again.

Deciding that she wanted to get away from the craziness of Sunnydale for a few hours, Buffy kept going and met up with Doyle for a day of relaxation. Neither of them said anything about it, but both of them felt it was kind of like a date – only without the pre-date jitters. Surprising them both, Buffy gave Doyle a quick peck on the cheek when they said goodbye. That night, they each lay in bed thinking of what might be if things were different and fell asleep with matching smiles.

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A/N: Next…Angel makes his last choice concerning Buffy and loses more than he anticipated.


	3. Chapter 3: It’s Over

**Chapter 3: It's Over**

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

A/N: In response to a TtH forum challenge, **Buffy And Doyle**** by ****TimeShifter**.

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When he got the frantic call, it wasn't Buffy's voice he heard. Despite that, he listened to what she said and his heart lurched when the voice of Faith told him of how the Dark Slayer woke up and somehow switched their bodies. Buffy had just escaped the Council's retrieval team who were went to bring Faith back to England for reconditioning or elimination – whichever took care of the problem. She said she'd call him back if she couldn't convince anyone else of her identity. She just had to tell him herself in case she didn't survive the Council or Faith.

A nerve-wracking day later, she called back in tears. They managed to switch the bodies back, but it wasn't all good news. Not only had Faith escaped town, she had used Buffy's body to have sex with Riley. And he couldn't even tell there was something wrong. He and Buffy hadn't slept together since Walsh's death and he thought that Faith's waking up was when she would chose to start again? Not to mention, he blew off Buffy's concerns about how dangerous Faith was – despite being in a coma for eight months.

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The next day, Doyle told the AI team that Faith woke up and a little of what she had done in Sunnydale before making her escape, leaving out the part about Riley. When they asked how he knew, he told them that Buffy called to warn them since she didn't know if Faith would go after Angel as well. It was the truth, just not the _whole_ truth.

Buffy caught up with them after Faith had tortured Wesley and Angel decided to help the Dark Slayer. When he stood between Buffy and Faith to protect the latter, Doyle had enough. Even after hearing _everything_ Faith had done, he _still_ was going to side with her over his supposed soulmate. He was more concerned about Faith's feelings than Buffy's and Doyle could guess why. The vampire was jealous of Riley. Well, so was Doyle, but that didn't mean he would do something like this.

Oh, he didn't doubt that Angel really wanted to help Faith redeem herself, and maybe she could be. But it shouldn't be at the expense of Buffy. Angel would justify it as Buffy being the stronger of the two and needing to help the weaker Slayer. But who knows how many more times she had in her before the continuing hits finally caused her to crack.

Doyle silently slipped out to visit the Oracles to make his request. When he came back, they were still in a stand-off. Doyle asked Faith if she was serious about wanting to make amends, surprising everyone. The hurt in Buffy's eyes caused him pain, but when Faith nodded, he went over to her and placed his hand over her eyes and murmured something.

Then he stepped back and moved to Buffy's side, giving her a warm smile.

"What did you do?" Angel demanded.

"I gave her a chance to make a difference with her life," Doyle shot back with disdain evident in his voice.

Faith looked confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

Ignoring her, Doyle explained to his _former_ Champion, "_She_ will be your seer from now on, Angel."

Buffy grabbed his arm and turned him towards her. "Why?"

Doyle looked into her eyes as he replied, hoping she would see _all_ of his reason, not just what he said, "Because no matter his desire to help Faith with her redemption, it shouldn't have been at the cost of you, Buffy. So I asked the Oracles if the Powers would let me give my visions to her. With the Slayer essence in her, she'll survive where Cordelia couldn't. They left just enough of it in her to do that, but she isn't a Slayer anymore. You are the only one again."

Angel growled inwardly at the closeness of the pair. Buffy was his! She just needed to understand why he was helping Faith. She just needed to trust him. "Why are you being like this, Doyle? You don't even _know_ Buffy!"

Doyle froze him with a glare. "And that makes it okay for you to treat her like you do? By the way, I _do_ know her; we've kept in contact since the last time she came to town just after Thanksgiving. Now, you have your seer, I'm going to Sunnydale to help Buffy. That is if it's okay with you, Buffy?" he asked shyly.

Buffy's heart leaped with joy. It no longer mattered to her what Faith did. Even the pain of Faith using Buffy's body for a sex romp with Riley barely even mattered to her anymore. It was only her body that Faith violated, not her heart. Riley didn't have her heart since Walsh died and he doubted Buffy's innocence. From that moment on, someone new was working his way in. And now he'd be _with_ her in person!

"It's _more_ than okay!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around him and squeezed him until air became an issue for him. Then she loosened her hold and gave him a sheepish grin. Forgetting who was in the room, she succumb to her own desires and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

Angel leaped across the room and tore them apart before screaming at his presumed mate, "What the hell? Buffy, what are you doing?"

She just rolled her eyes at him and spoke like she would to a child – which he was doing a great impression of, "I'm kissing someone who I'm attracted to. I would have thought that was obvious."

"But the last time you--" he started to remind her of the day they spent together, only to realize she didn't remember it.

Buffy's eyes narrowed as she figured out what he was going to say. "The last time what? The last time I was in town, Angel?" she spat venomously. "You mean the day we spent making love and planning our future? Only for you to decide to play hero and throw it all away without talking to me first?"

Angel glared at Doyle, assuming that he had told Buffy what happened. She would have no part of that though.

"I remembered on my _own_, Angel!" she yelled, moving to Doyle's side again.

"But they said--" the vampire stammered.

She shrugged carelessly. "Guess they lied. Or maybe they just wanted me to see that you would _always_ make these kinds of decision for me. It wasn't just _your_ choice to make, Angel! Not when you claimed to be doing it for _me_!"

Not ready to admit defeat, Angel turned on Doyle. "How could you do this to me? You know how much I care for her!" he demanded.

Doyle snorted, no longer worried about choosing between them. "I know how much you _claim_ to care for her. Not the same thing, boyo. If you truly cared about her, you would see that she's not a little girl to protect by choosing things for her. She's a woman fully capable of being part of the decision. And if she wants me, I am more than happy to be her _partner_."

With that, the new couple swept their way past the shocked group and started back to Sunnydale where the Scooby Gang would trade an Initiative commando for an ex-seer. The only drawback that any of them saw to the trade was…well, they couldn't really see one.

Doyle helped pull the team back together so that when Spike tried his manipulations, they pretended to go along with it and then laughed later that night when they met for the regular, _private_ meeting they held every couple nights. Adam never stood a chance with them working together as a solid unit. Neither did the Initiative.

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A/N: Well, that's it. It may not have been as 'shippy as TimeShifter wanted/expected, but it's the start of a new romance for Buffy.


End file.
